AI member Tyler relays a tale of wanton death and destruction that was only narrowly averted by the vigilance of our friends who work for the Transportation Safety Administration. Were not sure what Tyler was thinking  trying to carry such a dangerous item on board a commercial aircraft  but heres his story . . .

I had the friendly people at TSA notify me when I tried to get on a flight to Alaska (where I work around bears) this morning that a disassembled bolt for a Ruger m77 is not, in fact, a nicely machined paper weight but is actually a full-fledged firearm that I could use for some evil purpose if I had managed to somehow convince 30 accomplices to meet me on the other side of the security checkpoint with the other rifle bits theyd stowed in their carry on bags.

Im probably just super naive and used to the open carry that I enjoy while I am living in Alaska but come on, half of a bolt assembly for a rifle? The tiny regional airport I was at was actually staffed by some really cool people and the cop I talked to was more interested in bear hunting stories than anything else. He claimed that he personally put it into my checked luggage instead of confiscating it like a good robot would. Thank God I was flying out of a small podunk airport and not SEA-TAC (where I am typing this). I can just imagine the circus that would have erupted at the TSA checkpoint here.

If you were wondering about the logistics, I usually leave my rifle up there and just bring the bolt back and forth with me. That way it cant be used by anybody else like my little brother. This is the first time I have ever been hassled about the bolt and I got a real funny look when I asked them to define when a spring, screw, bolt or piece of pipe becomes a firearm.

Props to the cop Tyler swapped bear hunting stories with. He really did go out of his way to slip the blue bolt into his checked bag so Tyler didnt lose it. Just a thought: Tyler may want to consider a secure bolt storage facility in Alaska for future trips to the lower forty-eight. Share

I don’t think people should be allowed to carry on pieces to a gun. Even if each seperate piece is harmless in itself, who’s to say that 5 other passengers have all the “other” pieces. Each of which is harmless by itself, but could be assembled once on the plane. I guess you would still need bullets... but I guess one could make the arguement that even bullets by themselves (without a gun) are just paper weights too!

Eliminate the TSA entirely:
All passengers open carry a heavy automatic pistol.
Terrorists, radicals, etc. may start an incident if they choose.
But instead of facing disarmed, helpless sheep/victims, they face armed, prepared, free men.
May be the wild, wild west for a few months, while things sort themselves out.
Then airline terrorism will be a distant memory, (and airline passengers will rediscover manners!)

6
posted on 04/18/2012 6:53:50 AM PDT
by LucianOfSamasota
(Tanstaafl - its not just for breakfast anymore...)

The Gestapo, the Stasi, the NKVD, the KGB ... were all pretty professional, too.

They are, or were, 'professionals', who did their jobs, loved their countries and were usually highly intelligent. The TSA, OTOH, is a collection of idiots that, were it not for extremely lax hiring rules and PC hiring practices, would not have the intelligence to work at a private sector job anywhere. Just the fact that they work for the government speaks volumes for their capabilities and judgement................

Give me a choice to ride in a plane where anyone can carry firearms vs. a plane where it is prohibited and I’d choose the “armed” plane every time. No boxcutter wielding suicide hijacker would succeed on such a ride. Nor if he and his cohorts were carrying pistols either.
Very few people can realize that disarming good folks doesn’t make anything “safe”.
Loss of liberty is loss of liberty, not fine tuning of a perfect society.

10
posted on 04/18/2012 7:00:13 AM PDT
by Blue Collar Christian
(Liberals vote the way they feel, conservatives vote the way they think. NRA <BCC><)

If every passenger carried one bolt or spring or other gun part, they’d be able to put together a functioning gun. It’s like that guy who worked at a car company who over 30 years of taking home parts managed to build himself a vehicle.

The only part of a gun that makes it legally a gun is the receiver. The receiver has the serial number on it.
Thus, a receiver all by itself is considered a gun.
Everything else is just metal hardware.

I dont think people should be allowed to carry on pieces to a gun. Even if each seperate piece is harmless in itself, whos to say that 5 other passengers have all the other pieces. Each of which is harmless by itself, but could be assembled once on the plane.

BATF only recognizes the serial-numbered part (usually the receiver) as the "firearm". I don't see why TSA shouldn't follow the same guidance.

"Its like that guy who worked at a car company who over 30 years of taking home parts managed to build himself a vehicle."

That reminds me of an old joke that I heard a long time ago ...

The security guard outside of the factory had heard that Jones was involved in the black market, stealing items from the construction site and selling them for profit. Workers at the site were allowed to remove wood cuttings that were less than 12 inches long in addition to all of the dirt that they could carry in buckets or in a wheelbarrow. The guard was determined to make it as difficult as possible for Jones to get anything off the site by searching him every day. So, every day as Jones departed, the security guard would search him and his wheelbarrow to ensure that nothing except for the permitted items were being taken from the site.

This search continued for several years and was fruitless in finding anything that Jones was taking from the site. Finally, on the day after the security guard retired, he met Jones in a bar just outside of the gate for a drink. "Okay," he said, "I'm now officially retired and I'm just dying to know. I know that you were smuggling items from the work site and selling them on the black market, although I don't know how you were doing it. What were you stealing?"

Jones simply smiled and said, "Wheelbarrows".

22
posted on 04/18/2012 7:39:23 AM PDT
by BlueLancer
("No friend ever served me, and no enemy ever wronged me, whom I have not repaid in full" (Sulla))

“The Gestapo, the Stasi, the NKVD, the KGB ... were all pretty professional, too.

They are, or were, ‘professionals’, who did their jobs, loved their countries and were usually highly intelligent. The TSA, OTOH, is a collection of idiots that, were it not for extremely lax hiring rules and PC hiring practices, would not have the intelligence to work at a private sector job anywhere. Just the fact that they work for the government speaks volumes for their capabilities and judgement................”

Excellent!

24
posted on 04/18/2012 7:48:28 AM PDT
by mongo141
(Revolution ver 2.0, just a matter of when, not a matter of if!)

Twice I had the TSA at Newark seize my legally stored ammunition. The first time I objected and was told I did not have to board the plane but would still not get back the ammo (2 boxes of premium 300 win mags). The second time I was called back from the gate area to check in almost missing my plane and my hunt but when I met TSA and was informed they were taking the ammo as it was not properly packed I presented them with a copy of their website instructions for transporting and they apologized and sent it. Thanks to NRA for recommending that approach.

My father-in-law and I used to get into some pretty serious political and economic discussions. He was essentially a New Deal democrat with conservative leanings. I am a conservative with laissez-faire economic ideas. Usually our discussions would end by him asking, “Yeah, but were are ‘The Dummies’ going to find work.” My answer, had I given it, wouldn’t have pleased him since his wife was a retired public school teacher and most of his friends worked directly or indirectly for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Had the TSA been around while I was still married to his daughter that answer would have been easily given. I miss our debates.

27
posted on 04/18/2012 7:55:27 AM PDT
by Tallguy
(It's all 'Fun and Games' until somebody loses an eye!)

Its like that guy who worked at a car company who over 30 years of taking home parts managed to build himself a vehicle.

- - - - - - -

Well, I left Kentucky back in ‘49
An’ went to Detroit workin’ on a ‘sembly line
The first year they had me puttin’ wheels on cadillacs

Every day I’d watch them beauties roll by
And sometimes I’d hang my head and cry
‘Cause I always wanted me one that was long and black.

One day I devised myself a plan
That should be the envy of most any man
I’d sneak it out of there in a lunchbox in my hand
Now gettin’ caught meant gettin’ fired
But I figured I’d have it all by the time I retired
I’d have me a car worth at least a hundred grand.

[CHORUS]
I’d get it one piece at a time
And it wouldn’t cost me a dime
You’ll know it’s me when I come through your town
I’m gonna ride around in style
I’m gonna drive everybody wild
‘Cause I’ll have the only one there is a round.

So the very next day when I punched in
With my big lunchbox and with help from my friends
I left that day with a lunch box full of gears
Now, I never considered myself a thief
GM wouldn’t miss just one little piece
Especially if I strung it out over several years.

The first day I got me a fuel pump
And the next day I got me an engine and a trunk
Then I got me a transmission and all of the chrome
The little things I could get in my big lunchbox
Like nuts, an’ bolts, and all four shocks
But the big stuff we snuck out in my buddy’s mobile home.

Now, up to now my plan went all right
‘Til we tried to put it all together one night
And that’s when we noticed that something was definitely wrong.

The transmission was a ‘53
And the motor turned out to be a ‘73
And when we tried to put in the bolts all the holes were gone.

So we drilled it out so that it would fit
And with a little bit of help with an A-daptor kit
We had that engine runnin’ just like a song
Now the headlight’ was another sight
We had two on the left and one on the right
But when we pulled out the switch all three of ‘em come on.

The back end looked kinda funny too
But we put it together and when we got thru
Well, that’s when we noticed that we only had one tail-fin
About that time my wife walked out
And I could see in her eyes that she had her doubts
But she opened the door and said “Honey, take me for a spin.”

So we drove up town just to get the tags
And I headed her right on down main drag
I could hear everybody laughin’ for blocks around
But up there at the court house they didn’t laugh
‘Cause to type it up it took the whole staff
And when they got through the title weighed sixty pounds.

[CHORUS]
I got it one piece at a time
And it didn’t cost me a dime
You’ll know it’s me when I come through your town
I’m gonna ride around in style
I’m gonna drive everybody wild
‘Cause I’ll have the only one there is around.

[Spoken] Ugh! Yow, RED RYDER
This is the COTTON MOUTH
In the PSYCHO-BILLY CADILLAC Come on

Huh, This is the COTTON MOUTH
And negatory on the cost of this mow-chine there RED RYDER
You might say I went right up to the factory
And picked it up, it’s cheaper that way
Ugh!, what model is it?

I had the handle of a utility knife confiscated earlier this year. The blade was in the trash. In filing my complaint, I sent them the disctionary definition of a knife which included the word “Blade.”

36
posted on 04/18/2012 9:29:15 AM PDT
by cyclotic
(People who live within their means are increasingly being forced to pay for people who didn't.)

Eliminate the TSA entirely: All passengers open carry a heavy automatic pistol. Terrorists, radicals, etc. may start an incident if they choose. But instead of facing disarmed, helpless sheep/victims, they face armed, prepared, free men. May be the wild, wild west for a few months, while things sort themselves out. Then airline terrorism will be a distant memory, (and airline passengers will rediscover manners!)

Concur, with one slight change:

Eliminate the TSA entirely: All passengers open carry a heavy automaticsingle shot pistol, or a semiauto without a magazine. This includes any air marshal aboard. Terrorists, radicals, etc. may start an incident if they choose. But instead of facing disarmed, helpless sheep/victims, they face armed, prepared, free men. May be the wild, wild west for a few months, while things sort themselves out. Then airline terrorism will be a distant memory, (and airline passengers will rediscover manners!)

i was saw a fight where one biker picked up a pen and stabbed another biker in the neck with it...

THAT biker broke the pen in half, started breathing through the busted pen and shoved the other half into the eyes of the first biker.

THAT BIKER THEN scooped the damaged eyes out of their sockets and force fed them through the makeshift trachia tube effectively choking to unconsciousness the first biker, who consequently fell on top of the blind biker... forcing his unhelmeted head to the cold concrete floor, cracking his skull...

i guess he didn’t see it coming.

40
posted on 04/18/2012 1:48:42 PM PDT
by teeman8r
(Armageddon won't be pretty, but it's not like it's the end of the world.)

Disclaimer:
Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual
posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its
management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the
exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.